But there was no check in the card. Fifty dollars that De La Pena could use was gone.

“Nobody has the right to unseal anything, to come and open your mail, here they broke it!” she said.

De La Pena didn’t know how the thief broke into her mailbox. She said she tried to get to the bottom of it, making calls to her building’s management and the U.S. Postal Service. She has also filed a police report.

“It’s not a big deal to anyone, but it’s a big deal to me,” she said.

De La Pena said several of her neighbors have been struck by this Christmas card thief. She said she cannot afford to get a secure P.O. box and hopes the thief is caught before he or she ruins another holiday season.